Project Management Professional Career Outlook

A project management certification is a valuable career asset. As the nature of work has changed, projects have become more complex and more abundant, with team members often working on and contributing from various parts of the country or even various parts of the world. Take your efforts to the next level with a Project Management Professional certification.

What Employers Are Looking for In a Project Manager

A recent Project Management Institute (PMI) report estimated that 6.2 million new project management jobs will be created in the U.S. from 2010 to 2020. To better understand the requirements of these jobs, project management researchers at Software Advice, an online resource that reviews and researches project management software and technology, analyzed 300 current job openings for project managers. Findings showed that nearly 50% of the total job listings investigated required a bachelor's degree. However, over the three industries analyzed, aerospace, healthcare, and IT, 36% would accept equivalent experience to a degree, opening the project management job market to a wider range of candidate backgrounds.

Noel Radley, a researcher at Software Advice, said, “The clear front-runner for the most desired PM certification, when job listings mentioned a preference, is the PMP certification. Any PM job seeker considering pursuing this certification can see how advantageous and desired it is in the current job market.”

Radley also found that in 12% of job listings, PMP was mentioned alongside other preferred or required certifications, such as the Six Sigma Green Belt/Black Belt, a manufacturing certification with a body of knowledge that is similar to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).

Opens the Door for a Variety of Career Opportunities

By earning a PMP certification, you will enable yourself to do more in your current position or take on diverse project management jobs such as:

PMI also indicates that project management careers as a whole tend to withstand the ups and downs of a volatile economy. While no profession is truly recession-proof, project management becomes even more important in a downturn. During this time, organizations need good project management more than ever – you need to optimize your resources, control your budget, and have good risk management. Before the recession, PMI research indicated an estimated 1 million new project management jobs would be created annually through 2016 across the globe. While projected growth slowed as the economy tumbled, the Institute reports that job growth is now back on track and that the outlook for the project management profession is bright.

For more information on how Everblue can help you get started on your way to earning a PMP certification, please visit our PMP Exam Prep page and learn about our course in project management.